


Reform is impossible.

by Cally



Category: Umineko no Naku Koro ni | When the Seagulls Cry
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-01-11 09:28:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18427763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cally/pseuds/Cally
Summary: 1986 October 6th. The island of Rokkenjima has just erupted in a gigantic explosion. The storm has calmed enough the police are comfortable launching an investigation into the detonation.They find one sole survivor on the remains of the island.





	1. Riding out the Storm.

Rokkenjima had never seen such activity in the peaceful modern age.

A swarm of Japan coast guard boats, police boats, and commandeered civilian boats sped toward the island, kicking up white water trails as they went.

The going was not easy. Ash and soot permeated the island in a haze. Dust shrouded the island like a blanket. Travel by the air was not possible.

Unsure what they'd find, ship after ship sank inside the cloud, entering the cloistered world of Rokkenjima.

A local supplier of the Ushiromiya family offered his knowledge. The dock leading to the mansion was approached, but...

There was no mansion to be found. Military-grade ordinance reduced it to stray rubble and a smoldering crater.

Everyone present wanted nothing more than to vacate, immediately. However, duty and a media presence, encouraged them to search onward.

Until the jewel of Rokkenjima that Ushiromiya Kinzo never intended anyone to find was revealed: Kuwadorian.

The rescue workers intended to find an empty shell, like the rest of the island, but...

"The coast guard has reported that one sole survivor has been found after the violent explosion that is being called the Rokkenjima Explosion Incident... she is described as in 'stable' condition, and has agreed to the release of her name..."

With a professional detachment, the news anchor read their next lines for the whole world to hear.

"...Ushiromiya Rosa."


	2. Shock therapy.

There was very little natural light. A tiny window was, besides the door, the only portal inside out outside of the the office. Rosa didn't know what to make of it. She was under the impression the person she was meeting was powerful, but what sort of exchanges went on in this unassuming room, with only an intercom for communication with the outside? There hadn't even been a secretary.

Rosa chose not to dwell on it. Her train trip had lasted too long, and she hadn't even the time to change her clothes before coming straight to the unfamiliar building. She felt wrung out, tired, and dirty. Her exterior matched, her cravat wrinkled, her coat dusty and a bit faded.

The novelty of facing the media anxious to learn the circumstances of what happened in Rokkenjima had passed quickly. Especially when they turned vicious. Accusations assaulted her like she was bathing in the middle of shark-infested water.

The next few weeks were spent hiding, relaxing in an onsen, and eating crab until she thought she would burst. Anything to forget what had happened those maddening few days in which her entire life turned upside down. Perhaps she should have burst, and then be unable to deal with any of it, anymore.

"You look stressed. Would it help to have a cigarette?"

The question commanded her attention, and she shook her head no, before attaching a verbal response:

"I don't smoke, thank you."

Then, a short pause.

"I won't complain if you do," she added, unsure if the disapproval would earn his scorn.

He simply laughed, stopping short of showing teeth in his little smile.

"It's not time for my smoke break, yet. It's never good to postpone business."

The man's name was Okonogi Tetsurou.

Rosa herself didn't understand the connection he had to her siblings' businesses. He was something of a 'fixer.' No doubt there had been a more technical explanation; a more official explanation, but Rosa didn't have the patience to care about the nuance.

Since she was the only sibling left, it meant she inherited him... along with all the rest.

"You have some choices to make," he told her. His voice having a placid calculation to the lilt.

Rosa stared back at his face as the conversation descended into an awkwardness that gave her a shot of anxiety.

"What sort of choices?" she asked, finally.

He smacked his lips just the tiniest bit, the sound almost inaudible.

"Your inheritance... in the form of your sibling's businesses, their investments, their assets, as well as the generous insurance policies on their lives, and the properties. --You may also find some value in auctioning off the antiques you were found with."

'Antiques'... was that what they were?

Rosa remembered the stacks of books and suppressed a shudder. They felt cursed. She hadn't wanted to touch them, let alone think about them. Another stark reminder of how 'magic' had ruined her life.

Okonogi leaned forward on his chair.

"Do you understand how much that is, Ushiromiya-san? You may soon qualify for one of the top ten wealthiest persons in Japan."

Another pause, before he reclined back and gave the slightest hint of a shrug.

"Perhaps top twenty, at least. But it's up to you to maintain it. Businesses do not run themselves. Investments do not make themselves. As an Ushiromiya, I'm sure you understand."

Rosa felt her stomach turn from the thought. She did know. She'd had her Father's genius pounded into her brain from the moment she realized not everyone lived on their own private island.

She shook her head, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Liquidate it. All of it." Her breathing was shallow, hurried. "That goes for my own business Anti-Rosa as well."

Okonogi's stare was palpable, and Rosa shied away from looking at him directly.

"...I just want to pay off my outstanding loans, put everything else in a big bank account, and live off the interest for the rest of my life. It's fair, isn't it? There should be more than enough for that."

Enough she could enjoy crab buffet every night of her life, and brisk mountains in hot Hokkaido onsen... with perhaps a visit to Okinawa when she got sick of it.

So was Rosa's straightforward thinking.

It's what she wanted. What she deserved. Hadn't she suffered enough?

It was time for it to end.

Unfortunately... the man behind the desk across from her wasn't going to make it easy.

"Pardon me for being blunt: that's not a realistic goal. At all. First of all, no bank will pay a decent amount of interest on such a large sum, especially in Japan. Second of all, you'll have no options for a sudden economic downturn... you'll burn through that money faster than you would ever imagine."

That's not true.

If she sold and kept selling, she could keep up that lifestyle forever.

Rosa knew it, in her deepest hearts. The Ushiromiya family had _means_.

That was why Okonogi's words were incomprehensible to her.

He may as well have spoken them in Greek.

There was another pause as Okonogi considered his next words.

"Look at it this way. Having that much money in one place... it attracts attention. People are going to know you have that money. They will become jealous. They will become greedy. They'll want anything to get that money for themselves. Especially if you show no interest in holding on to it. Especially."

...

Rosa hated him.

She hated him because he was right.

She couldn't deny the trail of bread crumbs he left her, all directing her to the inevitable, unacceptable conclusion.

Rosa... would have to keep working.

Though she'd resolved not to show any weakness or betray her expectations, she couldn't hide the expression of utter revulsion on her face. Followed by tense, teeth-grinding stubbornness.

"Well... there are foreign banks..." she started to say. It was a weak defense. Surely the statement was accurate, but the premise of finding an 'out' was not. Rosa trailed off, unable to even put up a front of knowing what she was talking about.

At this, rather than go in for the kill, Okonogi... smiled.

"You mustn't look at this as a hindrance, Ushiromiya-san. Think about the position you have. I guarantee you, many would kill to be in your shoes."

The phrasing cut her to the core. Who would envy her?! She was the lowest of the low! The entire family spat on her! Even Kyrie and Natsuhi, and no doubt those damn servants... all of them.

One in particular.

"Having a stake in real businesses with accumulated reputation is worth more than the biggest stockpile of money in the world. You are not some rich person, Ushiromiya Rosa-san. You are a mover and a shaker, so to speak. Pick a goal, any goal, claim it as yours, and move to make it reality. You can accomplish anything possible on Earth."

His words hypnotized her. She stared up at him with... awe. Like he was a tutor who had given her an epiphany.

"Anything...? Are you sure?" she asked, needing the reassurance.

Okonogi nodded. No hesitation. As if Rosa had asked him 'is toast crunchy?'

"Anything under the sun. Though, being familiar with your family's situation... perhaps it would be appropriate if I made a suggestion?"

He steepled his hands in front of his face, making direct eye-contact.

"Including... finding a person who scorned you. Who hurt you. Finding what corner of the Earth they crawled into. Making them pay."

...

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Rosa realized for the first time that she was facing someone truly remarkable. Someone who himself was speaking from direct experience. Someone who held clout.

This person... and her inheritance... could make her deepest wish come true.

Rosa felt her mouth was dry, and belatedly closed it, it occurring to her too late that she'd let herself stare almost slack-jawed, mesmerized, by his words.

"Anything... I want..."

Rosa felt a tight well of courage springing forth in her chest. The current eddied inside her, until an idea seized her brain throttled it, and sent a reply forth from her dry, parched lips.


	3. Gradual transition.

"...k that," she muttered.

Okonogi tilted his head, brow furrowed.

"I'm sorry?"

Rosa coughed, smacking her lips as she tried to wet her mouth enough to speak clearer.

"--No. I don't want that. That man... he doesn't matter anymore."

She stared down at the floor, teeth clenched, hands bundled in fists on her skirt.

"Going after him would admit he still has power over me. He doesn't. It won't change the past. So he can rot away in whatever hole he went off and crawled into."

There was a very brief pause as Rosa's lips shut and she uttered not another word.

"That's... a very mature attitude, Ushiromiya-san."

Okonogi felt just the slightest bit disarmed by her reaction. He considered himself a man capable of measuring a person's worth very quickly; he would not have surived in his business if he wasn't. But, for the historically reckless and visibly emotional woman in front of him to outright deny an opportunity to get revenge, on the person she had the most reason to hate...

It was within the realm of possibility, but it was definitely the skinny end of a bell curve of reasonable expectations.

He was about to prompt her when she began speaking again.

"That's right... he doesn't matter."

Rosa was still staring at the floor. The cogs in her head turned as she relived all her years of being scorned, and looked down upon. Punishing him as an individual would accomplish nothing. Especially now. The man wronged her, but he was simply one factor in the long list of things that had caused her pain in her life...

Lack of utility and a simple measure of cost-benefit meant she couldn't hold him accountable as an individual. Any catharsis from seeing him pained would be hollow, at best. Therefore, she could not blame her lover for the pain she felt.

Her parents had never shown her the love she always wanted, or the approval she desperately needed. Her siblings had similarly scorned or dismissed her. She would never be able to earn even a facsimile of respect from them, as they were all dead. Therefore, she could not blame her family for the pain she felt.

Her darling, beloved daughter, was similarly dead. She would never know the joy of holding her in her arms, or the heartbreak of knowing their relationship was permanently tainted, ever again. Indeed, Rosa would be spared some trauma from watching her daughter grow up hating her, but the pain of knowing it was wrong at least bred the hope that maybe things could get better... somehow. But, just like the rest of her family, that would never happen now that she was dead. Therefore, she could find no ease from her pain through her daughter or being a mother.

And of course, she could not possibly blame herself or her own choices as the cause of her pain.

That left...

"The problem is with the way the law works."

...society.

She looked up at Okonogi with a hard, focused look on her face. Her eyes holding a glint of determination that hadn't been seen since she stepped in to the office.

"There was no law in place to help a young girl who just didn't know any better. If I could have held him to account for that money back then, and received child support payments, then everything would have been all right."

She nodded to herself. Yes, that would do as a goal. She couldn't change the past, but if she could alter reality itself... or at least how the government enforced it...

"I want to get involved with politics."

Okonogi inclined his head, feeling almost intrigued. Curiosity made him wonder just what measures she'd go to in her pursuit. Or perhaps it was bile fascination. Either way, he'd play along until she was bored.

"You'll hardly be the first wealthy person involved in politics. I'm sure a number of politicians will be very happy to receive your support. Campaigns hardly fund themselves, after all--"

Rosa held up a hand.

"No. It's not enough to just 'buy' some politician. I wouldn't expect anything but sweet-sounding words."

She puffed her chest up, arching her back straight, and making her posture as 'professional' as she could bear.

" _I_ want to enter politics. I want to be a candidate, for election. After I win, I'll get the law changed how I like."

She stared right at him, consciously daring him to reply. To see if he'd stand by his prior words. His assurances that she could accomplish anything under the sun.

Indeed, a number of possible counters to her plan easily sprung to mind. Not just for Okonogi, but for Rosa herself.

Do you know anything about how parliament actually works?

Do you really believe you can be nominated, let alone be elected?

Even if you were to win, do you really think you'll be able to do anything, as one person?

On a _national_ level?

For whatever reason, those issues would be left unstated. Okonogi simply gave a little nod.

"I will make the necessary arrangements to put you in touch with party offices. You'll have to make your own case, but I will get the door open for you."

 _With your money,_ was left unsaid.

Rosa visibly relaxed, letting her stern expression ease into a relieved smile.

It was... possible.

Of course it was possible! She had wealth and a tremendous amount of resources at her disposal, including a man who was on her side. ...For now, at least, a faint voice added in the back of her head.

Okonogi's chair squeaked as he leaned forward.

"In the meantime, I suggest you clean yourself up and make yourself seem more affable. A politician is nothing if they don't have a good public image."

...Ah.

The criticism hit home as she remembered how the press had dealt with her since the incident, and she winced.

"I understand. How soon will it be?" she asked, her voice meek.

Okonogi merely shrugged, shaking his head.

"Dealing with a political party, they have their own schedule. You may wait weeks, or months, if you're unlucky."

Rosa let out a soft breath as a trace of fear shivered down her spine. Paranoia making her wonder if Okonogi would seize on her hope to delay. Make her burn through more money, more reputation...

"I will make some phone calls immediately. Go enjoy a nice deserved rest, Ushiromiya Rosa-san."

He offered a hand out from behind his desk toward her. She blinked, before it registered what he wanted and she unhesitatingly grasped it with hers. A handshake to seal their arrangement.

"All right. I'm counting on you, Okonogi-san."

She couldn't hold back a joyed, eager smile. Already the future seemed brighter. She didn't need to hide in a cave, she could affect the world. And who wouldn't say it was for the better? So was Rosa's optimism as she rose to her feet, exchanged a few last farewell gestures, and departed the office.

Her footsteps echoed through the hallway as she made her way out, leaving him alone.

"..."

Okonogi waited for her footsteps to fade, then took a cigarette from a pack in his jacket pocket. He stood, flipped open the window leading outside, and lit himself a smoke. Nicotine assaulted his lungs as he took his first drag, exhaling the smoke out the opening in a long sigh.

"This woman... is going to be a headache."

After a moment of quiet retrospection on his first meeting with the Ushiromiya family heiress, he turned and reached into his desk, retrieving an ashtray before stubbing out the cigarette before he could be tempted to smoke for much longer.


	4. Conservative policies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic is a work of fiction. Any similarities to existing people or institutions is coincidental.

Days turned into weeks, and then weeks turned into three weeks. Two-and-a-half, but Rosa wasn't encouraged to be so precise.

Okonogi called to explain the situation to her

When it came to political power, the Liberal Democratic Party was the only party worth joining. They had consistently held power since the 1950s, with broad majorities. If Rosa was to have any hope of breaking into the country's political system, it would have to be as an LDP candidate.

Rosa was also a public figure associated with a case that had grabbed national headlines. The LDP officials simply wouldn't agree to a public meeting.

That already set off warning bells in Rosa's mind.

Rosa was a jilted woman, whose experiences had given her a jealous streak. A man who would not publicly show any affection to her was suspect. Lacking commitment at best, viewing her as a dalliance to be thrown away and forgotten about at worst.

Therefore, a meeting in a private back room where she had to be escorted inside quietly was not to her liking.

So was Rosa's straightforward mentality as a woman with a history of private relationships.

Still, it was not enough to say no.

A taxi was arranged to pick Rosa up and drive her the required distance. She was dropped behind the front of an office building and huddled inside by a waiting staff member, who didn't so much as greet her. Of course, wearing anything with the one-winged eagle was prohibited.

Rosa was escorted to another empty conference room. A rectangular table waited for her, with one chair opposite six others. There were no windows, decorations, or other items present. The door she entered through was the only door out.

There, Rosa waited.

And waited...

And waited...

Her nervousness had long turned to impatience and then annoyance. At the very least, she began wondering if she could find someone to ask where the bathroom was located. The issued burned in her idle mind for a few minutes before the door opened.

Ah.

She was so taken off guard she forgot to stand up. Not that it mattered. Six men, middle-aged, suits pressed, came into the room. Some carried suitcases, some carried folders, each seemed to be well-organized and took their seat without any delay. There was no small talk, or pleasantries. Rosa very much felt like a child again. A little girl staring out at real adults.

They retrieved notes from their belongings, and then quietly focused their attention on Rosa.

"Please, tell us what brings you here," spoke the man sitting across from Rosa.

Rosa felt paralyzed. The gears in her mind getting stuck in the sudden shift from boredom to a need to perform.

"Ah... how do you do? I am... Ushiromiya Rosa."

Her stride was broken mid-sentence as she realized introducing herself was irrelevant.

Of course they knew who she was. She was ushered into this back room to meet them, wasn't she?

Inwardly cursing her idiocy, she continued:

"I've come to offer my services to the Liberal Democratic Party. I think I have a lot to offer you all. My ideas, and... eagerness."

She realized at the last moment she couldn't just come out and say 'my money'.

The men opposite the table stared at her, then gave a few glances between each other.

"When you say 'offer your services,' you don't just mean as a campaign donor?"

Rosa suddenly felt her throat dry. She swallowed a nervous gulp of saliva, trying to distract herself from the feeling.

"No, I mean, as a fellow politician. In the Diet."

The men murmured some soft grunts, nodding their heads in acknowledgement.

"Ushiromiya-san, do you have any experience with public service?"

...

If she said 'no,' she was doomed, she realized. But it was such a straightforward question. Rosa couldn't think of a way to dance around it. She felt uncomfortable, and out of place.

"Not exactly. --But I have a lot of good ideas," she said, trying to maintain the emphasis on that point.

She was met with silence. Some of the men stopped looking at her to flip through their notes.

"Do you have any experience with the law?"

Rosa couldn't help but fold her hands in front of her, rubbing one hand over the other.

"I've... been involved with the courts, on some occasions."

That was something! They had to give her that much, she reasoned.

But the illusion was short lived. The men across from her had no time for such delusions.

"That is to say, have you ever had any experience drafting a new law, or studying legal matters? In a professional setting."

The questions cut Rosa deeply. Almost as much as physical wounds. At least the physical wound would've been over quicker.

"N-Not... in so many words," she admitted.

More glances were exchanged, gestures responded to, and the men stopped shuffling their notes.

"We thank you for the interest you've shown us, Ushiromiya-san. We can certainly respect your situation, and your Father was no stranger to offering us political support..."

That didn't surprise Rosa. Father had ties everywhere, why shouldn't a few government officials be in his pocket, over the decades?

"...but when it comes to offering yourself as a candidate, we look for someone with a little more experience."

"Someone with a background in law, or at least political matters."

"The public record is that you received a formal education in fashion design. ...It's a very feminine, ladylike field."

"On the other hand, it doesn't really prepare you for a transfer to the political arena."

"We're very sorry."

"Some party members work for years without ever becoming considered for national candidature."

"I can see also here that after graduation, you immediately started your Anti-Rosa company. We can respect that does give you some experience with management, but..."

"Government is very different from business. You simply can't expect to reach the top from the moment you start. Even with your respected background."

"Furthermore, your name is very associated with the Rokkenjima Explosion Incident at the moment. That surely gives you name recognition, which is usually a valued trait. However, we're not sure it'd be a positive influence on our party to welcome you so spontaneously."

"We'll gladly accept your contributions and support..."

"...monetary and otherwise..."

"...but, we can't offer you a position in the party where you would run for office."

"It's very difficult work."

"Incidentally, your timing is a little premature..."

"...aren't you suffering with the loss of your family? Including your..."

Rosa's hands clenched into tight fists over the length of her skirt. So much that her knuckles were pale and she felt she might rip through the fabric with her fingernails.

She withstood lash after lash of unrestrained criticism. Holding out in hope that her willingness to endure it would prove her commitment.

Rosa had never understood why her older sister had felt so victimized by the patriarchal structure of the Ushiromiya family. She had reaped the rewards of Eva's struggle: her father had agreed to let her attend university. However... the foreboding feeling that the allowance was only granted so far as she acted within the boundary of being 'feminine' always remained in her mind. There was no one in her family to stop her from disregarding that now. Least of all her Father. But even so... why was she getting that same feeling? Like a pressure in the back of her skull that would squeeze if she felt too confident.

"For the sake of asking, what ideas did you have?" one man asked.

Rosa had stopped paying attention to every single utterance. The question made her jolt in surprise.

"P-Pardon?"

"You mentioned having ideas. I presume you mean for new policy?"

Ah!

Here it was, her opportunity.

As easily as she'd been overwhelmed with discouragement, she swung to the opposite extreme, smiling easily.

"I'm very interested in promoting women's interests. Especially as it relates to protecting the rights of women. Especially in their relationships with men."

...

Stone silence answered Rosa's offering.

It was only then that Rosa was struck with the immense lunacy of her position. The unease in the back of her skull turning to a panicked throb.

She was facing a cabinet of men, in a conservative political party, telling them they should let her in to the club so she could help take power away from them and give it to her.

Her eyes went wide as she realized any possible use for her they may have seen would have evaporated with that declaration.

They'd already dismissed her as 'womanly'.

Hadn't they said as much?

Even then, these were men.

They probably had mistresses of their own, every one of them!

No, they definitely did.

Rosa knew men that powerful did not ignore women.

"Well, we can certainly respect that," one man offered, breaking the silence.

"It's enshrined in Article 14 and 24. --You remember that from social studies, yes?"

There was a slight spattering of laughter.

"The constitution is like the King... there's no need to create law greater than the King. Therefore, your aim is already achieved, Ushiromiya-san."

_Horse shit._

No way in hell was Rosa going to swallow that.

One of the men turned his wrist and looked down at his watch.

"Ah, it's getting late, isn't it?"

"Thank you for your time..."

The men were busy putting their notes away as Rosa experienced her epiphany.

Some of them spared her expectant glances.

"...T-Thank you for your time," she said.

Her indignant anger and inner rage had collapsed into stark depression, resignation. Rosa was left hoping she'd be able to hold her emotions in long enough for her to extricate herself.

She didn't need any of these people to know she was going to go home and drown herself in her tears.

_It's not fair._

***

"It's not fair!!"

Rosa paced around the small office like a caged panther. Okonogi was convinced that if she became much angrier, she'd start chewing the walls.

"Even if you complain to me, I've done all I can," he said.

Rosa turned around, whipping her arms up as she vented her spleen.

"But they never intended from the start to give me a fair chance! It was an unfair situation from the time I walked in!"

Okonogi's eyes watched her movements. He wasn't surprised at all to find out that Rosa was a complainer. The type of woman who would bare her soul and spill out all her secrets just for the chance to vent.

"So what if I studied fashion?! So what?? They told me it was 'too feminine', can you believe that?"

...His patience was wearing thin. He knew, professionally, that dealing with this woman would become part of his job. However, listening to her manic, angry ranting was becoming tiresome.

His words wouldn't reach her, he realized. Not unless he played to her desperation.

"Rosa-san, there may yet be an option for you to achieve your goal..."

"Oh, they made it _very clear_ they won't stand for that!"

"...without the LDP."

Rosa paused, as if a switch was thrown inside her head.

It interrupted her tirade enough to become very attentive.

"What's that?" she asked. She asked it in a manner of a child being told she'd be forgiven for a bad grade if she just did one little thing.

Okonogi went back to smiling toward her.

"The way you describe it, you need to offer your support to a political party more... deserving."

He leaned forward in his chair, eyes on Rosa.

"I can happen to think of one. One that specifically advocates for more women to participate in politics... and promotes more women as candidates than any other."

Rosa held her breath. It sounded too good to be true. But... she needed it to be true.

What could it be?

He was probably talking about some small women's rights party that had no seats.

"What is it? Just say it."

Okonogi was still smiling.

"The Japanese Communist Party."


	5. Adaptive expectations.

"The Japanese... Communist Party?"

The look on Rosa's face said it all. A mixture of bewilderment, shock, and disgust. The muscles in her face tensing.

"This is hardly the time for bad jokes, Okonogi!"

In contrast, Okonogi was perfectly calm. His voice unhurried and clear.

"It's no joke. Not at all, Rosa-san. The Japanese Communist Party would find your viewpoint very sympathetic. Your gender would be an asset there, rather than a handicap. It's built in to their ideology."

Rosa's face scrunched in puzzlement, unable to make sense of the seeming contradiction. Rosa truly was a political neophyte. Her disastrous first meeting with the LDP had certainly proved that. But she knew enough to know that communists and communism were something to be reviled. Something spoken about in tones of 'thank goodness that didn't happen to us.' Given that... what sense did it make that Okonogi talked so casually about them? As if they were just any other option to pick on a ballot.

"...Regardless of that, I have no desire to be a puppet for the Soviet Union," she said.

At this, Okonogi only shook his head.

"On the contrary, the JCP has a history of being fiercely independent from the influence of Moscow. --Beijing, as well," he added. "It's hardly like a political party in any communist state you could mention."

Rosa tilted her head, wondering how Okonogi was so knowledgeable about this. Perhaps he'd researched it, just for her?

"But... I really don't know anything about communism. Aren't they more... violent? I'm not trying to change the law by force."

 _More like you don't want to risk your skin,_ he'd surmised Rosa was basically a coward. It was the natural explanation for how she survived the Incident, and it was completely in line with her personality she'd displayed up until now.

"Naturally, they wouldn't exist as a political party and be allowed to operate if they were committed to using violent means."

He gave a slight shrug.

"It's just a political party, like any other. They receive a fair number of seats in parliament every election, relatively speaking. No where close to the LDP, but they have a solid base of support. Mostly unions, and academia."

...Neither of which Rosa was inclined to support, sympathize with, or care.

"I don't know... aren't you ignoring the obvious? I'm a rich person." She sighed, deeply. "I don't know anything about communism... socialism... whatever. I doubt they'll be enthusiastic."

Okonogi wanted to laugh, but he stopped it at a grin.

"Did that stop you with the LDP?" Before she could react, he appended the phrase. " --What matters is your goal, not the platform."

The idea sounded so... foreign.

Reach out to the Japanese Communist Party? _Join_ the Japanese Communist Party?

She couldn't fathom it.

The idea smelled of some trap. Some deception play by Okonogi.

Did he have friends there? Would they kidnap her and hold her for ransom? Or... worse.

"Look at it this way. The LDP has very deep pockets, an established campaign network structure, stable representation in parliament already, an abundance of persons willing to contribute, and no ideology that suggests they should focus on women's issues. It was, as you said, completely unfair. The JCP, on the other hand... not as much. Your influence will carry much more weight if you decide to get involved."

"..."

Rosa stared at him, wondering what benefit he would get out of it. The logic was certainly there. And yet she was sure there was definitely more going on than met the eye. Rosa had been tricked too many times by her manipulative older siblings to not see it. Even then...

...This was her only chance.

He was right. There was simply no winning over the LDP. But, neither could Rosa just wave her arms, say 'to hell with it!' and call it a day.

She'd thrown in too many chips for what was a complete bluff.

Knowing that, the only smart move was to throw in even more chips.

"...You can arrange a meeting?" she asked, the question surprising even Rosa.

Okonogi paused, as if giving her the chance to change her mind, then nodded.

"I can arrange a meeting."

Rosa took a deep breath, held it, then held it for too long and coughed. Sputtering, she found her voice again.

"I'll do it... just one meeting. I spared the LDP that much, why not the JCP? If it doesn't work out, there's got to be a few more political parties left to approach, right?"

Right...

Rosa knew it was best not to get worked up about it. The JCP wasn't a bogey-man. It was just another political party. Like a tea-shop that was out of the blend she preferred. She was free to simply proceed on to the next one and look around. There was nothing wrong with that.

Nothing to it.

She'd be more prepared this time.

She'd learn from her mistake with the LDP.

She wasn't sure how much influence she'd be able to actually carry within the party, or as a member of the JCP in parliament, but at least that was a chance.

A slim, freak chance was better than no chance at all.

\--So were the hyperactive thoughts of a desperate Rosa, who had already managed to survive such extreme situations.

In her entire short history on Earth, nothing had come easy for Rosa. Why should she expect otherwise?

She straightened her cravat, and pulled at her sleeves, straightening her outfit.

"I'll expect a call from you soon telling me when the meeting will be held. ...I would appreciate it if I was allowed in through the front door, this time."

Okonogi allowed himself a polite little chuckle.

"We'll have to see. My clout with the JCP is less than the LDP."

Rosa laughed along with him, spurred on more by excitement than actual amusement.

This was a chance.

She'd show the LDP they had gravely misjudged her.

She'd leave her footprint on society just as it had left its oppressive footprint on her face.

"Are we done? Do you need anything else?"

Okonogi assured her he didn't. They exchanged some pleasantries before Rosa moved to the door. Her mood has vastly improved since the time she'd walked in. Now, she actually wore a grateful smile on her face.

"I'm counting on you, Okonogi."

She gave him a flirtatious little wave as she backed out of the door, leaving him alone in his office.

This time, there was some hesitance between her shutting the door and her footsteps trailing away.

He guessed, correctly, that she likely needed to compose herself first, before daring to face the public again.

Okonogi himself?

He simply leaned back in his chair, musing to himself.

Could there be a woman less naturally inclined for political life?

Regardless, an order was an order.

It was what the Queen wanted.

He reached down into another drawer of his desk to find a rolodex with certain specialized names and contact numbers written for them. This would require extra attention.


End file.
